Seeking to decode a final, unanswered invitation, a filmmaker explores why the renowned Lebanese director Jocelyne Saab reached out for a collaboration just two months before her passing. Since his reply can never reach her, the film transforms into a lyrical expedition through the life, political commitments, and artistic vision of a singular voice from the era of revolution.
Revolutionaries Never Die
a film by
Mohanad Yaqubi
Biography
Mohanad Yaqubi is a filmmaker, producer, and one of the founders of Idioms Film, an arthouse production based in Ramallah since 2004. He is also a member of Subversive Film, a curatorial collective focused on researching and redistributing militant cinema from Palestine and beyond. Since 2017, he has been a lecturer and researcher at KASK School of the Arts in Ghent.
With a background in mechanical engineering and a Master’s in Feature Films from Goldsmith University, London, Mohanad’s research explores archival practices within transnational solidarity movements. His work examines the politics, aesthetics, and cinema, while also considering imperfect archives as a way to connect living memories. His first film, *Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory* (2016), premiered at Toronto IFF, Berlinale, Cinéma du réel, Dubai IFF, and Carthage, among numerous other international premieres and screenings. His second feature, *R21 AKA Restoring Solidarity* (2022), debuted at Documenta 15, IDFA, Marrakesh FF, True/False, and Melbourne IFF, among others.
Filmography
- R21 AKA Restoring Solidarity, feature documentary, 2022
- Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory, mid-length documentary, 2016
- No Exit, Short fiction, 2013
- Insomnia, short film documentary, 2005
- Carnaval, short documentary, 2004
